Dementia is a common disorder in older people, resulting in losing cognitive functioning, such as remembering, thinking, and reasoning. Hence, it’s a disease that interferes with a person’s regular activities. However, some significant symptoms of Dementia can minister with physical therapy or proper medication.
Older people with Dementia can’t control their emotions, and there might be a personality change. Evaluating dementia is challenging, mainly if it’s in the early stages. There isn’t one most straightforward test for Dementia, and the premature symptoms could be analogous to those of various common conditions.
The evaluation process could differ, and not every step listed here will be applicable to you. However, the diagnosis and evaluation processes for Dementia are the following.
The evaluation process for dementia
First step
At first, the primary care doctor will render a physical exam and ask basic questions about your medical history and other stuff, such as:
- When did the onset of the dementia symptoms?
- Have you ever been diagnosed with other medical problems?
- Does Dementia destroy your family?
- Have you ever observed major personality changes?
The below-mentioned procedures are also be used to evaluate Dementia:
Neurological tests
A doctor will inspect your reflexes, balance, and eye movements and check how perfectly your senses work. Now, they will ask you to pull or push your hands using your arms or stand with your eyes shut and feel your nose.
On the other hand, to verify your reflexes, the doctor might also tap a tiny rubber hammer against your body parts to see how you respond to that sense. However, you can avail of the dementia services to get an affordable and premium identification of this problem.
Cognitive tests
Such general dementia assessment tests are used to evaluate physical functioning and thinking. They concentrate on reasoning, memory, measuring, and language skills. Let’s understand this by an example: Your doctor may tell you to draw a clock and mark the hands at a particular time or give you a detailed word list.
Now, they ask you to memorize it and repeat it after them. However, they will also ask you to do hassle-free calculations, for example, counting backwards from 100/7.
Psychiatric evaluation
It will help ascertain if any mental health condition, such as stress or anxiety, causes or contributes to a person’s symptoms.
Brain scans
Such evaluation tests can detect tumors, strokes, and other issues, which can trigger Dementia. So, your doctor might use one or more of the scans to look at your brain.
- MRI utilises magnetic fields and radio waves to generate detailed images of body structures, such as organs, nerves, tissues, and bones.
- CT uses X-rays to generate pictures of the brain and other organs.
- PET uses radiation to generate images of brain activity.
Takeaway
If you’ve been feeling low for a few days and if it seems like Dementia, inform your doctor right away. List out the symptoms, containing everything about how your feel, if there are any significant issues causing stress in your life, and all the medicines you’re taking.
Adam Mulligan did his degree in psychology at the University of Hertfordshire. He is interested in mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.
